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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. march — the month
  4. key — in music
  5. march — music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. degree — temperature
  8. hand — in cards
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. march — the month
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. degree — from a university
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. degree — an amount
  19. date — the fruit
  20. vault — a safe
  21. key — for a lock
  22. dip — to sink
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. dip — to dunk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com